Chapter 494
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: A Transaction with Angxiao
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To be fair, this wasn't Angxiao's fault.
After all, he could hardly believe that his elaborate scheme would be undone by a mere Foundation Establishment Perfected Being. It defied all logic—there wasn't even a theoretical basis for it.
Pondering back and forth, Angxiao could only settle on one explanation:
'The World Honored One has descended into the world, enlightened this Foundation Establishment cultivator, and used him to sabotage my plans. That's the only possibility! Only that makes any sense!'
He even had the rationale lined up: His avatar had infiltrated the Pure Land, attained an outer path fruit there, and seized the Pure Land's White Wax Gold immortal spirit. Though Dragon Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva had eventually returned it, the White Wax Gold immortal spirit had perished after failing to obtain gold.
Rounded up or down, that still counted as offending the Pure Land.
Could it be that the World Honored One had long ago uncovered his schemes and preemptively created this Foundation Establishment buddha's son specifically to screw him over?
If that was just speculation,
What solidified his conviction even more was the hapless fool now under Lu Yang's control. The effect of String-Controlled Puppet closely resembled the World Honored One's Unity of All Hearts.
And that False Holding of Gold Position Method—the World Honored One had a False Holding of Dao Lord Method too.
It all lined up. Everything lined up!
The more Angxiao thought about it, the more reasonable his guess seemed.
If you're not the World Honored One, then who is?
That's why, after much deliberation, he tentatively called out, while steeling his mind and scrutinizing Lu Yang's expression with his divine sense.
But what kind of person was Lu Yang?
Remote-controlling via String-Controlled Puppet, none of his thoughts showed on his face. Not even his soul rippled with emotion.
And before Angxiao even finished speaking, he had already pieced it together:
'He's mistaken me for the World Honored One again?'
'Of course. He has a grudge against the World Honored One, and that guy's utterly shameless—enlightening a Foundation Establishment cultivator to deal with him is par for the course.'
With that in mind, Lu Yang suddenly smiled.
"Senior, you've got the wrong idea. I'm not the World Honored One."
He didn't go along with it and pretend to be. Unlike faking Hongyun earlier, where he'd reviewed Hongyun's experiences and could impersonate flawlessly.
But impersonating the World Honored One?
He knew nothing about the Dao Lord. Any attempt would be seen through by Angxiao, exposing his hand instead.
By contrast, candidly denying it sowed doubt.
After all, across the whole of Jiangxi—from bodhisattvas down to the monkish commoners—everyone claimed not to be the World Honored One, yet at the critical moment, he just hijacked the title.
Sure enough, Angxiao wavered.
But he quickly faced reality: 'No matter what, his ability to falsely hold Covered Lamp Fire lets him reverse the Chen Earth. He's got me by the throat.'
True, with Sand Earth and White Wax Gold in hand, he could maintain his late Golden Core cultivation via gold, earth, and wood even if Chen Earth reversed. But that would turn his once-smooth path into treacherous peaks and ridges, riddled with setbacks.
"Fellow Daoist, if you have something to say, out with it."
Angxiao sighed, elevating Lu Yang from "little friend" back to "fellow Daoist" while yielding the initiative.
Only then did Lu Yang raise an eyebrow, lowering his voice.
"To be honest, I harbor no ill will toward you, Senior. All the previous events were misunderstandings. I invited you out mainly to discuss a deal."
A deal?
Angxiao remained impassive. "Go on."
Lu Yang continued, "As you saw earlier, Senior, I'm aiming to verify Heavenly Fire. There are all sorts of hurdles along the way, and I'll need your help."
Angxiao: "."
The World Honored One coveting Heavenly Fire?
Not impossible! City Head Earth was still lying around in Jiangxi, after all. What was one more Heavenly Fire? Angxiao could totally understand!
"How am I to assist you, Fellow Daoist?"
"Simple."
Lu Yang said softly, "Just agree to strike for me at the key moment. If I'm not wrong, you still have one good hit left in you."
Angxiao neither confirmed nor denied, pivoting instead.
"Why should I help you?"
"Because of Covered Lamp Fire!" Lu Yang declared firmly. "Help me now, and in return, I'll help you deliver Covered Lamp Fire to the underworld later."
At those words, Angxiao's eyes flickered.
".How can I trust you?"
Faced with Angxiao's doubt, Lu Yang just laughed. "The point isn't how to trust me, Senior. The point is whether I can pull it off."
Angxiao knew that full well. After all, he himself was notorious for breaking promises and understood how easily trust shattered in this world. If Lu Yang spun pretty tales or trotted out reasons to prove his trustworthiness, Angxiao would reject him outright without a second thought.
But Lu Yang didn't do that.
One sentence was enough to make Angxiao's heart race: Could he deliver Covered Lamp Fire to the underworld? Undoubtedly, yes—he had the means!
That sufficed.
In the Saint Sect, interests were king. As long as both sides stood to gain, they had a basis for cooperation. The rest was just gamesmanship.
'This guy's... from the Saint Sect?'
Angxiao mulled it over, but far from disproving Lu Yang wasn't the World Honored One, it only deepened his suspicion. Only an old True Lord like him would know:
'The World Honored One trained in the Saint Sect back in the day!'
Not only that—the World Honored One had been a social butterfly, visiting everywhere except Sword Pavilion, including Saint Sect and the Dao Court. Otherwise, how would he have earned the moniker of Pure Land Heretic Sect?
With that, Angxiao decided. He smiled. "Sure. I accept, Fellow Daoist."
On the other end, getting Angxiao's affirmative response, Lu Yang felt no joy—only a mental sigh: 'Zero sincerity.'
Who'd trust a Saint Sect True Lord's word? Only a fool!
Cursing inwardly, Lu Yang plastered on a sincere smile. "Pleasure doing business, then. Take this as a junior's meeting gift."
With that, he produced a jade slip.
"Inside is intelligence on Long Flowing Water."
A meeting gift, sure—but Lu Yang clenched the jade slip tight, showing no intent to hand it over just yet. Angxiao got the message instantly.
".What do you want, Fellow Daoist?"
"A share of Self-Earth path knowledge, enough to refine Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends."
At last, Lu Yang revealed his true aim.
All that deal-making was just stringing Angxiao along. The real prize he wanted from him: Self-Earth path knowledge!
Angxiao's eyes narrowed.
'He deliberately exposed his false hold on Covered Lamp Fire to intimidate me, but the endgame is trading for Self-Earth path knowledge from me?'
Now he hesitated.
If this was truly a Foundation Establishment enlightened by the World Honored One, why ask for path knowledge? Had he guessed wrong? Or was it a feint?
Even so, Angxiao decided quickly. "Fine."
He split off a strand of divine sense and tossed it to Lu Yang casually, his face a mocking half-smile, as if he couldn't care less.
Simple reason:
'You know about my Cognitive Obstruction, so aren't you afraid I'll bury a trap in this path knowledge—hide something key and screw you over?'
Here's your path knowledge.
Dare to use it?